


Virtuous Conversation

by Kalypso



Category: Blake's 7
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-09-04
Updated: 2000-09-04
Packaged: 2017-12-19 07:33:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/881121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalypso/pseuds/Kalypso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Liberator crew consider which of the traditional Seven Virtues are important to them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Virtuous Conversation

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for the Freedom City Birthday Party of 2000, when the theme was the Seven Deadly Virtues.

"Message transmission for Roj Blake," reported Zen.

"Go ahead, Zen," Blake replied.

"Sender has specified that the message should be delivered to Roj Blake in private," Zen advised.

Blake sighed and got up. "Then direct it to my flight console and I'll read it there," he said.

"Who's sending you secret messages?" asked Vila curiously.

Blake crossed the flight deck and glanced at the console. "It's nothing very sensational. Details from Elin Gardell about where to rendezvous with her group."

"And why should that be private information?" enquired Jenna.

"She's very cautious," he explained, as he rejoined them, "and I don't see that we can argue with that when the Federation wiped out half her forces last month. The fewer people know where she is, the safer for everyone concerned."

"He means," remarked Avon, "that Gardell doesn't care to talk to vicious types like us - only to virtuous fellow-revolutionaries."

"Vicious?" asked Vila. "Who are you calling vicious?"

"I was using vicious in the sense of practising vices. If you were a freedom fighter on the run, would you trust a thief or an embezzler? Whereas Blake embodies all the virtues..."

"Thank you, Avon, I can do without the compliments," interrupted Blake.

"Oh, it's not a compliment," Avon continued, "Virtues are a dangerous liability."

Cally suddenly gazed at Gan, who started as if he'd heard something, and then asked "What _are_ the virtues? Weren't there seven, traditionally?"

Cally smiled with relief. "Well," she said, "why not test Orac's general knowledge?"

"There are numerous variations on the list of seven virtues," Orac informed them. "But the traditional Seven Cardinal Virtues were faith, hope, charity, justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude. Of these, faith, hope and charity were described as the theological virtues, and justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude as the moral virtues..."

"Oh well, I'll stick to the vices, then," said Vila. "Temperance and fortitude don't sound like my sort of thing at all."

"But justice is something worth striving for," said Blake quietly.

"Not for those of us who were correctly convicted, perhaps," countered Avon.

"Ah, but justice isn't just a matter of the verdict," said Blake. "And then there's the larger issue of whether you can have justice at all in an unjust society, which may have driven you to break the law..."

"So what are the other virtues of a revolutionary?" asked Avon hurriedly.

Blake considered. "Before you can fight for justice, you need the ability to listen to your fellow-citizens." He grinned at Avon's raised eyebrow. "Then the ability to plan a coherent course of action. We all need courage to fight at all, and endurance to keep going in the face of frequent defeats. Obstinacy is pretty useful too." He grinned again, forcing Avon to bite back his retort, before going on. "I think fairmindedness is important - that relates to justice, but it's more of a personal virtue than a state one, and maybe it's a necessary prerequisite."

"On Auron," remarked Cally, "the three great virtues were self-knowledge, sharing with your clone-group and working for the greater good of the community." She sighed. "That was all very well, but it didn't tell us how to decide what the greater good was when we disagreed."

"What do you think of the earthly ones?" asked Blake.

"Well, I've needed a lot of faith since I left home," she offered. "I think I appreciate compassion more than I did. And on this ship, I've learned patience." She caught Vila's eye for a moment and smiled. "And letting go and enjoying oneself occasionally... I never realised how important that was, for myself or those around me."

"Charity's what I've needed most since I joined this ship," observed Jenna tartly. "Apart from quick reflexes at the helm."

"But a free trader would need those, too, wouldn't she?" asked Cally.

"Oh, of course! And versatility - you have to be able to turn your hand to anything. An ability to improvise. A good head for bargaining. Making the most of one's assets..." Jenna's smile teetered dangerously on the border of a smirk until her eyes fell on Blake, when she suddenly blushed. "Idealism," she said rather quickly.

Vila stared at her with some interest, and seemed to be about to ask something when Blake cut in. "So what are a thief's virtues?" he enquired.

Vila paused for a moment. "Honour," he proclaimed importantly. He looked round, sensing the others weren't sufficiently impressed. "Honour among thieves, you know. We never split on a colleague."

"Well, that will be a great comfort to us when you're captured and interrogated," interposed Avon. "Can you offer anything else?"

"Plenty. Dexterity... instinct... a good memory," he said. "Inconspicuousness - you don't want to stand out in a crowd. Whatever you call looking deadpan and clueless while someone's questioning you." He glanced at Cally, a little wistfully. "And I'll take hope."

"Hope seems an odd sort of virtue," said Gan. "I thought they'd be things like honesty and humility."

"You're welcome to those," muttered Avon. 

"But fortitude I like," continued Gan. "That's courage, isn't it? But not just the sort of courage you need in battle - more being able to endure a long time of trial."

"That sounds good," Jenna smiled at him. "Any more?" 

"Generosity." He smiled back. "Consideration... tolerance. I used to think self-control was a virtue, but that's not really a choice any more," he added, looking slightly more than rueful but slightly less than bitter.

"Prudence is the only one of the originals that makes much sense," said Avon.

"So what would you have?" asked Cally.

He tipped his head back for a moment as he considered. "Intelligence... rationality... precision... creativity... certainty..."

"Certainty is a virtue?" asked Gan.

"It would be if I could get any of it," Avon snapped. He paused.

"You're up to six," said Vila helpfully.

"I didn't hear you mention numeracy," retorted Avon. He stared very hard at the viewscreen opposite. "Loyalty." Four heads turned sharply. Blake remained quite still.

"To one's principles," Avon clarified, still gazing straight ahead.

After a brief silence, Blake remarked: "We seem to have covered all the cardinal virtues between us except temperance. But then there's probably only one of us here who could manage it. Zen, have you been following the conversation?"

"Confirmed."

"Zen is a machine, Blake," interrupted Avon. "How could temperance be relevant to a computer?"

"Did you find anything relevant in our discussion, Zen?" asked Blake.

Zen's lights blinked for a few moments. "Basic functions of this system include listening to the crew. Working for the good of the crew. Quick responses from automatic circuits. Fully functioning memory. Control of all ship's systems. Intelligence."

"Well, Zen's certainly got one virtue the rest of us forgot about," remarked Gan. "Tact."

"Confirmed," said Zen, possibly disclaiming modesty. "There is a further message for Roj Blake at his flight console..."

Blake spread his arms out along the back of his seat. "And anyone who wants can go and read it."


End file.
